Porn Might Kill Off Our Free Public Wi-Fi

In a seriously worrying turn of events, a porn baron is suing two students over smut piracy, but only one of them is actually guilty. If the case gets through the courts it could spell the end of public Wi-Fi as the provider will be liable for anyone and everyone's mischievousness.

Apparently, because one of them downloaded the flick on the other's internet connection they're both liable for the copyright infringement, or at least that's what Liberty Media Holdings is arguing. That could mean that any public Wi-Fi, be it someone who's just not bothered to secure their Wi-Fi, a coffee shop, or a hotspot provider, could be liable for anything that anyone does while connected to their Wi-Fi, including grabbing their fill of smut in public.

Thankfully, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is all over this like a rash in the US, campaigning to get the lawsuit thrown out. Let's hope it all comes to nothing. Without LTE in the UK, blanket citywide Wi-Fi is the next best thing, and you just know if they succeed in the US, it won't be long before the lawsuits spring up here and free Wi-Fi goes the way of the dodo. [TechEYE]